X marks the spot!

Fortnite: Battle Royale has gameplay seasons that coincide with the actual seasons of the year. Winter has come and gone, and the newly-released Season 8 has ushered in a frenzied springtime theme.

Season 8 began early in the morning on Thursday, February 28, and it brought with it dramatic changes to the map, introduced exciting new weapons and items, and ushered in a brand-new era for the battle royale game that includes pirates, treasure, and a war with the Ice King and Prisoner.

We’ll update this post with every new detail we get, including theories about storylines, new updates to the game, and any relevant info about the new season.

When Did Fortnite Season 7 End?

The in-game Fortnite battle pass menu always includes a countdown to the end of the current season. Based on that, we knew in advance that Season 7 was scheduled to end on Thursday, February 28 at about 2 a.m. Eastern.

When Did Fortnite Season 8 Begin?

Each new season typically starts shortly after the previous season ends. The shortest time for this transition can be measured in hours or even minutes, but it could also be a bit longer. Epic Games always releases a series of teaser images confirming the start date of each new season. Based on these previews for Season 8, which started on February 24, we knew for sure that Season 8 would begin on Thursday, February 28.

Epic Games also confirmed the day before that downtime would begin at 4 a.m. Eastern, meaning that Season 8 officially began shortly after that.

Here's the Season 8 launch trailer.

Is There a Trailer for Fortnite Season 8?

Yes! Epic Games doesn’t release trailers for new seasons until the season actually starts. Right when Season 8 unlocked, any player who logged into Battle Royale got to see the new trailer.

At the start of the trailer, a pirate named Blackheart peers at an “X” on a treasure map and sees that the location marked is between him and a volcano in the distance. He’s got a few Fishsticks backing him up. We see something similar happen with the Ice King at the Ice Castle with two Trogs and again with the Prisoner and two dark-clad ninjas emerging from the volcano.

That’s pretty much it as all three groups converge on a single chest in the new jungle near the volcano and we get the official Season 8 title: “X marks the spot.”

'Fortnite' has a volcano now!

What Is the Theme of Fortnite Season 8?

Apparently, the theme is “X marks the spot.” But considering Season 7’s theme was labeled, “You better watch out,” we sort of have to further contextualize this for Epic Games.

Based on the trailer, the Season 8 theme is Ice King versus Prisoner (can we just call him Fire King yet?) versus pirates as they all compete for treasure. That’s generic enough to include just about anything, albeit a little bit nonsensical. So far, there isn’t any unifying thread that ties it all together.

Season 6 focused almost exclusively on spooky apocalyptic themes related to Halloween with Fortnitemares, and Season 7 turned a quarter of the map into a winter wonderland for the holidays, so it’s reasonable to assume that Season 8 will also focus on reshaping the map in some fashion.

The ongoing earthquakes had been causing huge cracks in the ground for weeks, and now it seems that the Prisoner’s magic ritual caused the volcano to appear similar to how the Ice King brought the iceberg.

We’d wager that this will have an ongoing impact on the map in some way.

Here's the new 'Fortnite' Season 8 map.

How Has the Map Changed in Fortnite Season 8?

Tomato Temple, Wailing Woods, and Lazy Links are no more. The new volcano in the northeastern area of the map has obliterated these three named locations. The Block has also been moved to the area east of Junk Junction.

These changes do, however, mean some new locations. The volcano itself doesn’t have a name, but it’s a hugely significant landmark. Just northeast of it is Sunny Steps, an ancient-looking temple of a sort. West of the volcano is Lazy Lagoon, seemingly where the pirates sailed into the area.

Per the version 8.00 patch notes, Sneaky Snowman and Chiller Grenades have been vaulted, along with X-4 Stormwings, Shopping Carts, and All Terrain Karts. That does mean Quadcrashers should still be around. In their place is a new vehicle/weapon hybrid, the Pirate Cannon. They can be pushed and can fire cannonballs or people.

The volcano has also caused Volcanic Vents to appear around the map. They launch players into the air and allow them to redeploy.

Blackheart and Hybrid are two new progressive outfits included in Season 8 for anyone who buys the battle pass.

Blackheart starts out as a simple pirate and progresses into an undead captain with a hook for a hand. Hybrid looks like Deadpool or a Mortal Kombat ninja, and he eventually transforms into a humanoid dragon. Interestingly, it doesn’t look like he’s the figure teased the other day by Epic Games. (Everyone thought that character was either a tiger or a dragon.)

From left to right: Peely, Sidewinder, Hybrid, Luxe, Master Key, Blackheart, and Ember.

There’s also Sidewinder, a snake charmer who looks like a female Indiana Jones. And Peely, a horrifying humanoid banana. At Tier 71, players unlock an elfish female character with flaming hands. Is this the Prisoner’s wife or daughter? Inexplicably, there’s also a Naruto-looking guy called Master Key unlockable at Tier 87. The Tier 100 skin is a badass woman named Luxe.

In terms of pets, there are several wooden versions of existing pets and a really cute fox called Dodger.

How Much will the Fortnite Season 7 Premium Battle Pass Cost?

Fortnite: Battle Royale might be free to play, but for players that want access to the premium Battle Pass and all its associated challenges, purchasing the pass costs 950 V-Bucks. It’s starting to seem like that might never change.